5.2

      Not much happened today. I went to work and to my diabetes class. I go to the doctor again tomorrow afternoon. I'm struggling with the diet and meds, but I think I can do it. Anyway, without further ado, here's another excerpt.

Excerpt 5.2 from Murder by Dewey Decimal
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

Chapter 5.2

Lisa drove into the city hall parking lot. Bernard's car was still parked in it. She frowned and looked at her watch. Nine-thirty. The board meeting should have been over an hour ago. Belatedly, she remembered Bernard was to be hired as Head Librarian. I didn't mean to miss that, she thought. I know what I'll do. I'll take him out for coffee and a burger to celebrate. Besides, that will give us time to talk. And she felt they should talk although she didn't know what to say. She hoped he would. She had gone by his house earlier, intending to speak with him, but he was out. She found herself driving past the Wyatts' home, almost afraid to look and see if his car was parked there. She had never realized how good an empty driveway could look until then.
      She had considered calling him a couple of times today but put it off, reluctant to face the emotional problems he raised. He, however, remained on her mind most of the day as she went about her various tasks: faxing her story to Veit, typing her resume, calling newspapers in the area and getting addresses, picking up another ribbon for her typewriter, and so on. She had also set up an appointment with the United Fellowship minister, Lewis Morgan. Talking with someone would help her, she believed, and he seemed nice and knowledgeable over the phone.
      John Towers, her former editor, had taken her to dinner and told her that a group of local businessmen were trying to raise enough money to buy the defunct Ryton Journal and News and pay off its debts. He asked her if she would come back to work for him when and if the paper resumed publication. Barely a week ago, she would have jumped at the chance, but a lot had happened since then. She was beginning to feel if she didn't make something happen for her now, she would never have another chance. Let's face it: I'm not getting any younger, she thought ruefully. I just can't see me staying in Ryton all my life. She had told John she'd think about it. He assumed she had been hired as a full-time reporter with the Dispatch. He didn't know she hadn't gathered together enough courage to ask Veit for a job.
      Tomorrow, I'll ask him, she promised herself as she walked up the sidewalk. Entering city hall, she immediately noticed Bernard talking with the mayor and one of the councilmen. Not wanting to interrupt, she glanced around and saw Merriman Smith at the drinking fountain.
      "Merriman, how are you doing?" she asked, moving over to him but keeping an eye on Bernard.
      "Lisa, my girl, how are you?" Merriman asked, a rare smile flowing across his face like desert rain. He had known her for more years than she could remember, and Obsidian was one of the offspring from his cat.
      "Doing okay." She said, frowning as she watched Bernard who seemed upset.
      "Good, I was wondering how you would make out when the paper closed, and then I hear you're working for the Dispatch. I knew you had it in you."
      "Thanks," she said, smiling at him. "But, I'm just stringing for them right now, and that's a ways from a job yet."
      "You'll do it."
      "What's going on over there?" she asked, indicating Bernard and the mayor.
      "Oh, boy, you sure missed a good meeting tonight--at least, the library board meeting was. In our meeting, that fool Rivers proposed the stupidest fiscal plan I've ever heard in my life, which is saying a lot when you consider that I vote Republican."
      Lisa couldn't care less about Rivers, but during the years, she had learned not to push Smith. He would get to the library board meeting in his own sweet time so she listened patiently as he compared Rivers to bathroom bacteria and told her what he would have told the City Council had he been given a chance.
      Finally he got to the board meeting. Lisa listened in amazement as he detailed Evelyn's entry and how it had completely thrown the entire board.
      "You should have been here," he said. "I felt sorry for your boyfriend, but you should have seen the look on Brunson's face. I just about split a gut."
      "What happened after that?" she asked, shifting so she could get a better view of Bernard's face. No wonder Bernard is upset, she thought. First, he suffered through Agatha, and now there's Evelyn to carry on and take what should be his job.
      “Well, they all got into a big debate about what they should do, and they decided to ask the city attorney for an opinion on her request. It was so late that they adjourned without covering another thing on the agenda. Basically they put her off until the next meeting so your boyfriend is in charge until then." Merriman leaned close. "I think they're going to have to give the job to her, but they're afraid since they offered it to Bernard, he might sue."
      "Bernard wouldn't do that," she said, shaking her head. "He's not that type of person."
      The mayor patted Bernard on the back and moved off.
      "Thanks for the information. I'll see you later." She quickly hugged Merriman and headed for Bernard.
      Before she reached him, Sherry Wyatt stepped out of the ladies' restroom. Lisa stopped. Sherry glanced her direction and then casually took Bernard's hand and said something to him. Bernard looked at Lisa and dropped Sherry's hand like it had burned him. Lisa quelled a sudden impulse to jerk Sherry Wyatt bald-headed.
      He came over to her, Sherry trailing in his wake.
      "I heard," Lisa said flatly before Bernard could speak. "What do you think they're going to do?"
      "Probably give the job to her," Bernard said. "Brunson told me that I could continue on as assistant, but he thinks they'll have to honor the terms of old man Ryton's will if they want to keep the building."
      "Can't they reduce her authority or something?" Lisa ignored Sherry who was standing way too close to Bernard as far as Lisa was concerned.
      “Ryton's will outlined the job duties," Bernard said. "He was a cagey old coot, I'll give him that."
      "What are you going to do?" Lisa asked.
      "I don't know," Bernard said.
      "Surely you don't plan to stay here now," Lisa said. "What about your other job offers?"
      "I haven't followed up on them," he said. "I was waiting to see what happened."
      "Now you know. Ryton doesn't have much for you any more," Lisa said. She realized she was pushing, but she was angry--not particularly at him but at the whole situation.
      "He might have more here than he thinks," Sherry cut in, smiling even though her voice had an edge in it that could cut bone.
      Lisa glanced at her and then looked back at Bernard. "I was going to take you out for coffee to celebrate your promotion. We could still go ... and talk."
      Bernard looked uncomfortable, glancing at Sherry.
      "How nice," Sherry said, still displaying those white teeth that Lisa was thinking about making into a necklace. "But Bernard and I already have plans."
      "Some of the people from the church are getting together tonight at the Pizza Shack," he said. "It’s late, though--"
      “I'm sure they'll still be there," Sherry said. "Joan told me that they weren't going to get there until nine."
      "You're welcome to come," Bernard said.
      Sherry's smile became strained.
      Lisa looked at him, marveling at the stupidity of men. "No, thank you." She walked away.
      "What about tomorrow?" he asked.
      "Thank you, but I'm busy," she flung back over her shoulder.
      "I'll call you," he said.
      She went out the door without answering. She stalked to her car, talking angrily to herself. You blew it, Bernard M. Worthington. That was the last time I humiliate myself for you. You can go to--
      "Lisa, wait," Bernard said from behind her. "I want to talk to you."
      Lisa whirled around. "I thought you were going with Sherry," she bit out.
      "I told her that I needed to talk to you," he said. "I thought it was more important."
      She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's talk."
      "Don't you want to go somewhere else?"
      In way of a reply, she walked over to a stone bench off from the sidewalk and sat down.
      He followed her.
      They sat in silence and watched the parking lot empty.
      Sherry looked over at them and hesitated and then drove off in a flurry of gravel. They listened to the night sounds for a while.
      When he spoke, his voice was quiet. "I don't know why you're so mad at me. I thought we had become friends. I need to know what you're thinking."
      "That's exactly what I was going to say to you," Lisa said. "What are you thinking?"
      "About what?"
      "About the situation in the Middle East, of course," she snapped.
      Silence.
      "I need to know what we're talking about," he said tightly. "I don't think I deserved that."
      Lisa sighed. "No, you didn't. Sorry."
      He considered her for a moment and then said, "It's okay. I think we've both had too many shocks this week."
      "I'd like to talk about us," Lisa said.
      "I'm all ears. Although I think I ought go to a plastic surgeon about that."
      "Be serious."
      "Sorry," he said. "What do you want to talk about?"
      "Well, for one thing, is there an 'us' to talk about?"
      Bernard was silent for a moment. "I don't know. I think there is, but I don't know. Do you think there is?"
      "Haven't we had this conversation before?" she asked wryly.
      He smiled. "I believe so. And it was so much fun the first time, too." He became serious again. "I don't mean to be putting you off. I honestly don't know." He looked up at the sky. "This is all very different for me."
      "In what way?"
      "I guess it's different because I keep feeling like I need to make a decision about it." He looked at her. "It's like this: All my life, it seems things have just always worked out for me. I mean, I didn't so much choose to be a librarian as it chose me."
      "You're not about to tell me about a bright light coming from the sky and the voice of Dewey speaking to you, are you?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.
      "Now, who was telling who to be serious a few moments ago?"
      "Sorry."
      "Actually, I like your idea, but that's not how it happened." He looked down at the ground. "After my father ... died, I started finding it hard to make decisions. Everything seemed pointless. Why decide to do anything when you could end up in a drainage ditch? I drifted along, and it seemed like all my decisions just happened." He shrugged. "My mother was a librarian; I guess libraries may have seemed safe. I certainly knew a lot about them. When I went to college, I drifted through it. Don't get me wrong; it is difficult work and I had to work hard for my degree, but I don't know if I really chose it."
      "What about Sherry?" Lisa asked, watching his face intently.
      "Almost the same thing." He slapped at a gnat. "You know, this is kind of sick, but in a way, I was glad when all this happened because it meant I didn't have to make any decisions about a new job."
      "Well, that explains why you worked six months with Agatha," Lisa said.
      "Yeah, I guess most people wouldn't have lasted that long. Of course, for the first few months, I was staying for Sherry."
      Lisa shook her head. "You know, it's funny in a weird way. You and I have exactly the opposite problems. You have trouble making decisions, and I make them too fast."
      He raised an eyebrow.
      "I rush around a lot, changing things, readjusting my life to suit my mood, and never considering all of the consequences. I've ... wrecked some things that way. I push too hard. I guess it's because I feel like I've never had anything so I want everything. And I want it right now."
      "What do you want?" Bernard asked, turning to face her. “What do you want right now?"
      Lisa paused, then the answer came clawing out. "I want to catch the bastard that attacked me!" She burst into tears. Bernard placed his arms around her and pulled her against him.
      "Okay," he said, softly. "We will."

End excerpt. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. No copying or downloading without express written permission.